The date was April 11th, 1956. Armed Arab fedayeen entered Kfar Chabad (The Chabad village close to Ben Gurion Airport) and attacked a vocational school where students were praying and learning. They opened fire and murdered five students and one teacher and wounded many others. The victims were mostly young immigrant boys.
It was one of several deadly cross-border attacks in Israel during the 1950s, but this one had a particularly profound emotional impact because the victims were children.
The shock and fear after such a devastating attack understandably led to a range of reactions among the (not only) residents of Kfar Chabad. The community had already endured so much hardship, having come from Soviet Russia, where they faced persecution, and now they had experienced this horrifying tragedy in their new home, Israel
Some thought it was too dangerous to continue keeping the school open. They feared further attacks and argued that the village had become an unsafe place for families and the school should close.
Others questioned whether staying in Israel was worth the risk. In fact, some were so shaken by the violence that they considered leaving Israel altogether.
There were also those who were paralyzed by grief, disbelief, and fear. For some, the overwhelming shock left them in a dazed state, unable to take decisive action. They were lost, unsure of how to respond to such brutality.
But being Chassidim of the Rebbe, they all knew that he would offer guidance and correctly help them charter their way through these very troubled waters. And indeed, he did.
His response was so characteristic of his leadership; not by explaining the tragedy, but by rejecting explanations and insisting on constructive action.
In a public address about a month later, he explicitly opposed giving theological explanations for the murders saying in essence that, some events can’t be explained and like Aaron after the death of his sons, the response is “and Aaron was silent.”
He then said that instead of focusing on “why,” the emphasis should be on what to do next.
The Rebbe also understood that action was the best way to combat despair. He spoke often about the importance of practical steps, adding more Torah study, increasing charity, building institutions. He also sent emissaries go to Kfar Chabad to give the people the strength to continue.
The message was simple but powerful: do not become passive; respond with action.
The Rebbe’s emphasis was on community building, not just about physical rebuilding, like infrastructure or institutions, but also about a spiritual renewal that would ensure such darkness could never take hold again. This was part of his broader mission of bringing more light into the world, both for Jews and for all humanity.
The Rebbe’s response to tragedy is a timeless and powerful lesson that we all need to internalize, especially considering the recent attacks on Jews, including the horrific event in Golders Green.
In moments of crisis, it’s easy to fall into a mindset of despair, fear, and uncertainty. We can allow ourselves to become paralyzed, or worse, begin to see our Jewish identity as a source of danger or vulnerability. If we let this mindset take hold, we not only harm ourselves but, more tragically, we risk passing on this negative view to our children. If the equation in their minds becomes “Jew = Danger” or, “Jew = Death”, we are perpetuating a cycle of fear and self-doubt that will affect generations to come.
If we allow this to become our reality, we hand a victory to those who seek to undermine our people and our faith and this would just be a surrender to the forces that wish to destroy us.
But being Jewish is not about constantly fighting the world or being on the defensive. It’s not about whether we “win” or “lose” in some battle. Being Jewish is a badge of honour and pride. It is who we are, our identity that connects us to a rich history of Torah wisdom and purpose. We must teach our children to see it as such.
We now need to rise above despair and strengthen ourselves. The response to darkness is not withdrawal but an active pursuit of light. We can transform the pain into growth. spiritually, personally, and communally. The solution is not retreat, but to build, to learn, to teach, and to show that our identity is the source of our strength, not our weakness.
Let us live in a way that makes the equation in our children’s minds say: Jew = Light, Jew = Strength, Jew = Pride. This is the attitude that will ensure our survival and our future, no matter the challenges we face.
